Demon within
by Cursed-Mind
Summary: After leaving the village of Konoha with a strange ally, Naruto will come back and face his deamons to protect the one person he ever loved and the people that always shunned him.
1. Departure

"Demon"  
  
"Failure"  
  
"Delinquent"  
  
"Screw up"  
  
"Monster"  
  
'Why do they call me that? Why do they run away?' 'YOU KILLED THEM ALL! DEMON! LEAVE!' 'I deserve to be alone.'  
  
Naruto looked upon the quiet village of Konoha from his rooftop beneath the star-studded sky above him. It had been five years since the 3rds death and peace was slowly returning to Konoha as its people were picking up the pieces of their lives once again. Naruto exhaled deeply closing his eyes and stared at his hands for a while before turning back to the village. He stood picking up the small bundle next to him and turned his back on the village he had grown up in. As he prepared to leave he felt a presence behind him and reached for the kunai at his side.  
  
"And where do you think your going Naruto?"  
  
Naruto smirked and returned his weapon to its place and turned to face Kakashi. "You shouldn't sneak around like that. You'll get yourself killed."  
  
"I'll take my chances. And you still haven't answered my question."  
  
"I don't think that's any of your business Kakashi. You're not my teacher anymore. You haven't been for some time now."  
  
Kakashi sighed and looked upon his former student. When had the fun loving hyperactive brat turn into a callused cold shonobi? "I didn't come for me. I came for someone who couldn't. And you may not owe it to me to say goodbye, but you do owe her something."  
  
"SHUT UP! You know I can't stay! You think that now that they know...they really know Im the nine tails fox demon that they're just going to let it go? This isn't peace Kakashi; there is no such word, as long as there is someone who is different, fighting, is inevitable. This isn't peace, and you know it, you know they mean to kill me, to kill the demon fox within me. I have to leave."  
  
"So you're running away."  
  
"NO! I'm protecting them! You weren't here when it happened, when I lost control and the demon fox took over." A shiver went down Naruto's spine as he remembered the great slaughter. "It doesn't have allies Kakashi, it doesn't have friends. It kills everyone...and everything. It completely took over my body. I couldn't do anything. I had no control. It was me who they saw kill all those people. The demon fox threw me. If I die, so does the fox. And I can't stay in Konoha knowing that at any moment the demon inside me could break free and turn Konoha into a memory."  
  
Kakashi watched as the emotions played across Naruto's face. He saw the fear streak his face at the Foxes power and bloodlust, he saw anger burn in his eyes at knowing that he wasn't strong enough to contain the demon within him, but most of all he saw the true devotion and loyalty he had to Konoha. Even though they wanted him dead, he wasn't leaving for his life, he was leaving for theirs. "They'll send anbu after you."  
  
"I know. Just promise me...you'll keep her safe. Don't let them do anything to her."  
  
"You're not going to say good-bye"  
  
"If I do, she'd want to come with me and I cant have her do that." Naruto didn't wait for Kakashi's response; he was late as it was. He jumped from tree to tree in the dense forest that surrounded Konoha and headed towards the meeting place.  
  
It was a small clearing bathed in moonlight and the silhouette of a single figure lingered in the ruffling grass. The figure turned and the pail green eyes bore into him and Naruto smiled weakly. The moonlit face frowned, "Your late."  
  
"Sorry about that...Gaara."  
  
Hope you liked the prologue to the story and sorry about it being so short. I'll try to update the first chapter soon. I'd like to know what you think so please review. I take flames. (And considering I'm to lazy to proof read this is probably horrible and in for a lot of flames. Not to mention its like 2 in the morning...)  
  
Oh yes, I'd also like to say that I take requests for other fanfictions if it's for something I know. 


	2. Pendant

Demon within  
  
Chapter 2: Pendant  
  
Hinata lay in her bed under her warm covers unable to sleep. Something was wrong. She looked at the necklace Naruto had given her to hold earlier that day. They had been walking through Konoha together hand in hand on their way to her home. He blushed a light shade of red and placed a sweet chaste kiss on her lips and started off swiftly in what seemed to be embarrassment when she noticed Naruto drop the pendant. She had picked it up and called to him. She knew it was important to him and to have dropped it so carelessly without noticing was odd.  
  
"Naruto, you dropped you pendant!" she yelled from her door hoping he would hear her small voice from the gate. He looked with an unreadable face and told her too hold on to it and that he would come back for it.  
  
Hinata got an unsettling feeling in her stomach as she looked back on it. What did he mean? Was he going somewhere? He hadn't said anything about a mission. It always worried her when he went off on one of his missions. Besides he had just come back from an A level mission with Neji, why would he leave again so soon? And even on those difficult missions he had never left her with his pendant. In fact she had never seen it leave his neck. Even then. She blushed at the thought and folded the covers aside and turned to get out of bed.  
  
Hinata sat up in her bed and wrapped a robe around her and wandered the dark halls of her home towards the kitchen.  
  
"Neji, what are you doing up?"  
  
Neji blushed a bit and held up a box of ice cream. "Want some?"  
  
Hinata smiled and nodded. Ever since a year ago when Neji had become an Anbu he had been living with them in the main house and during that time became very close to her. He was like an older brother to her. After his fight with Naruto in the chuunin exam and the events that followed soon after he had become nicer to her and she was able to break through his cold exterior.  
  
Neji handed her a bowl of ice cream and she thanked him quietly. "You couldn't sleep either?"  
  
"No...Ten ten is leaving on a mission tomorrow."  
  
Hinata grinned at him, she was one of the few that knew about Neji and Ten ten's little relationship.  
  
Neji glanced over at Hinata and scowled. "Don't smile that way with me Hinata. I know all about you and Naruto."  
  
"You don't know everything!" She taunted.  
  
Neji grinned his knowing smile and turned back to his ice cream leaving a flushed Hinata to hers as well. 'Does he know?' Hinata shook her head and shoved these thoughts from her mind and asked Neji if he knew if Naruto was going on a mission anytime soon.  
  
"No, I don't think so. We just got back from one."  
  
"Did he say anything to you about going somewhere?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't really know anyway. Ask Lee or Kakashi."  
  
"Why Kakashi? He's not their sensei anymore."  
  
"Yeah, but Kakashi just seems to have a way of knowing."  
  
Hinata thought about it for a while, leaving a silence over the two with the soft clanging of spoon on white porcelain bowls. Hinata soon finished and turned to leave the kitchen when Neji spoke.  
  
"Hinata, don't worry so much. He wouldn't leave you lightly. He cares about you a lot. You're all he thinks about."  
  
Hinata smiled at Neji's comforting words and uttered small thanks before leaving. As she left Neji's smile slipped and he sighed deeply. "If only you knew"  
  
Hinata's step was a little lighter as she made her way back to her bedroom. Tomorrow. She thought. Tomorrow she would see Naruto and everything would be ok.  
  
Hinata stopped mid step and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that tomorrow would be too late. And after tomorrow, she may never see her Naruto ever again. A nauseated feeling hit her like a wave and she found her self just making it to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. 'Whats wrong with me?' Hinata thought desperately as tears came to her eyes. "Naruto, where are you? I need you." She whimpered silently as Neji came running to her side trying to comfort his 'sister'.  
  
"It's going to be ok Hinata, we'll see the doctor tomorrow and everything will be fine." Neji helped her to her bed and pulled the covers over her as she whimpered Naruto's name in the dark room.  
  
"Naruto..."  
  
From somewhere deep in the forests of Konoha, Naruto stopped on a branch and became alert.  
  
"Naruto, what are you doing, we cant stop."  
  
"Did you hear something just now?"  
  
Gaara listened intently but heard nothing but the rustling of the leaves. "No, now move it."  
  
Naruto shrugged, "Must have been the wind." But he was sure he had just heard someone say his name. Some one plead with him. But then again, it was probably just a memory of when the demon fox took over and it was probably just one of the many people, that pleaded for their lives.  
  
So what did you guys think? I know that kind of sucked but I'm having a bit of writers block. And just to make a little clarification, this is not a Gaara Naruto yaoi pairing. (if you couldn't tell already.)  
  
I'll try to update as soon as I can but I'm going to be on vacation for like a month or so and wont be back till the 29th of august. But I promise, I'll write while I'm away and I'll type it up and update the minute I get back. I WILL continue this story and all my other stories as well. Please review and I'll see you in a month or so. 


	3. Blood of the Enemy

Chapter 3: Blood of the Enemy

Hours passed and the two hadn't said much of anything to each other. Just because the two were helping each other get to their common goal, didn't mean they were friends. As they jumped from branch to branch Naruto broke the silence, "It's going to rain."

"What do you know?" Gaara grunted and brushed his 'partners' comment off when one lonely wet drop landed on his hand before the one drop turned into an outright downpour. He scowled looking over to a smiling Naruto.

"What did I tell ya." Naruto couldn't help but laugh as Gaara slipped on a wet branch and fell a short distance to the puddle of mud below the tree.

"You think this is funny?" Gaara said with a smirk. Naruto stopped laughing momentarily as he was caught unaware by one of Gaaras 'sand tricks' as he called them and ended up right next to Gaara in the mud.

Naruto sat in the mud stupidly for a few moments, processing what happened (he may be grown up but he's still our slow Naruto-) before he got up and started brushing the mud off himself before he started laughing. He preformed a quick jutsu, which cleaned him and Gaara off. (It doesn't really exist but we're all going to pretend that it doeswink)

"Lets get moving. We still have a long way before we leave Konoha." Strait faces returned as both ninjas sobered up and once again went back into the swift pace they had been going moments before. Although the air about them seemed much lighter and relaxed then it had before. "You made me slip on that tree on purpose didn't you." Gaara said after a while.

Naruto just gave Gaara his goofy grin and a peace sign. "JAN!"

Gaara shook his head, 'what a loser' and despite the thought, he still smiled. (Gaara...smiling! Hey it had to happen sometime (kinda creepy though no?))

Both were brought back from their comfortable state and became tense once again. All their senses alert to what was happening around them. It was almost morning they would be coming soon. "Keep your guard up." Naruto warned

"When is it ever down. I should be telling you blondy."

Naruto scowled at Gaaras comment before he turned his senses outward, probing the forest for any of the leaf nins that might be coming after them. It was nearly morning and the rain still poured down on them relentlessly forcing them to slow down their quickened pace.

Naruto's eyes widened as he sensed it just a second before Gaara, "They're coming."

Hinata looked out her fogged window and sighed heavily. It had rained all night, the lightning being the only source of light during the storm. The rain fell in sheets pounding down heavily on anyone who ventured out. The streets were virtually empty as the ninja academy was closed today due to flooding. She herself still had a job to do. She was one of the few who still had a mission, A rank too. She was told it was a retrieval mission with Kaiba and Sakura as her partners. She sighed one last time as she began getting prepared for her mission. Something about it gave her an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She didn't like it. Then again, she had had many unsettling feelings in her stomach lately; this had just been one of the few that didn't make her spew her guts. Her attention turned toward the door where moments later there was a knock and her sister entered.

"Hinata, you got a letter from daddy in the valley of hidden mist. Brother Neji told me to give it to you."

"Thanks Hanabi." Hinata took the letter and read it over. And over. And over.

Hanabi saw her sister pale a bit and asked her what the matter was.

"Its nothing, just a regular letter about the clan. Nothing big." She said with a smile.

"That's good, I was worried there for a while." Hanabi watched as Hinata stuffed the letter into her pocket and left out the door for her mission.

Hinata stood at the front door of her home just staring out at the rain dreading going out in the storm. "You just going to stand here all day or are you actually gonna go out there?"

"Shut up Neji."

"What did Hiashi say?"

"Nothing really, just clan stuff. Says I should 'prepare myself'." Neji looked at her with sympathy before she took a deep breath and went out into the rain towards the front Konoha gate.

As Hinata went through the deserted streets of Konoha passing by Naruto's favorite ramen cart, she smiled as she thought of Naruto's reaction to the closed ramen stand. She remembered a fight she watched Sakura and Naruto have one time when Naruto was ditching training early to go out for ramen (because he was 'really really hungry') and she asked him that if ramen and the person he loved most were about to be killed (or eliminated off the face of the earth in the case of the ramen), which would he save. He had pouted and said that was an unfair question but added that he would always protect the one he loved most first no matter what the cost. That thought gave her warmth as she proceeded towards the gate where she saw her companions waiting for her under a shield jutsu...completely dry. Hinata sighed in exasperation at her own stupidity for not thinking of that herself as she ran into the shield and attempted to dry herself off.

Akamaru ran to her happily and almost succeeded in knocking her over. Hinata gently pushed him off her and looked at Sakura and Kaibas faces. "Whats wrong? I know it sucks to have a mission in this weather but...by the way, who are we tracking down any way? Isn't this more of and ANBU type mission?"

Both Kaiba and Sakura looked at each other and made a silent agreement. It would be better if Hinata stayed behind. Sakura stepped forward and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Hinata. I think it would be better if you stayed behind on this one. We already sent for Shino to come replace you."

"What! Why!"

"Hinata, the person we're going after, is about to be classified a missing-nin."

"So, what does that have to do with me having to stay behind?"

Sakura looked over at Kaiba, "She disserves to know. Hinata, we're going after Naruto."

"WHY! What did he do!"

"You didn't hear about the incident near area 44? Hinata, Naruto was fighting that retard enemy that even the Hokage doesn't know who it is and he well...lost control of the Kyuubi inside him. Naruto, or rather the Kyuubi inside Naruto killed...lets just say a lot of people. Leaf nins as well as the enemy. He's on the run Hinata and we have orders to bring him back. Im sure there are other reasons we have to bring him back as well but the Hokage wouldn't say."

Hinata's breathing had become rapid as she sunk to he knees not believing what she just heard. "I-It's not... I-It can't" Her whole body was shaking rapidly and both Kaiba and Sakura rushed to her side, Akamaru whimpering not to far off.

Shino arrived not long after and Sakura ordered him and Kaiba to leave while she took care of Hinata. "I'll catch up." The two nodded and disappeared.

"Come on, lets get you inside to a doctor, I think your catching a cold from being out in this rain so long."

"They're coming."

"I know"

"We can't kill them."

"I know." Gaara groaned. "But you know if we don't kill them eventually they're never going to leave us alone."

"I'm not going to kill people from my own village."

"The Kyuubi obviously doesn't have a problem with that."

Naruto's anger boiled and was about to lash out at the red head before he let it go looking downcast. '_Gaara's right'_

Both became silent as they stopped in a small clearing extended their senses as far as they could, probing for the enemy. Naruto's hands rested by his shuriken and kunai holsters as Gaara just kind of stood there coolly with his arms crossed, his cold gaze piercing the forest.

"Bug Boys here" Gaara commented as his sand shield rose preventing one of Shino's bugs from land on him and Naruto.

"Yeah, Kaiba too. I know that dog smell anywhere."

Gaaras attention was suddenly drawn to not the enemy from the leaf but the enemy that was suddenly approaching from the west. "More are coming. I smell blood on them." Gaara grinned mischievously, "This is going to be fun."

HEY GUYS! IM BACK!!! WHOOOOOO!

Hope this chapter wasn't too disappointing or hard to follow. I wrote a little bit while I was away but as I was typing it I changed some of it but it's basically the same. And yes I realize that I said I would update the minute I got back (Which would be the 29th and yes I realize it's the 2nd of Sept) but things came up ::cough::jet lag::cough::

So ya, anyways, I promise, the next chapter will have the fight scene and you'll find out who's his enemy that's makin' Gaara all blood happy. Anyways, we'll see how that turns out.

Till next chapter!


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